Down on the farm in LaSalle
A plentiful presence of plum prospects via the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League are in position to be prominent performers for the nearby LaSalle Vipers in their opening round, Greater Ontario Hockey League playoff series against the powerhouse Elmira Sugar Kings.
Leading the way for LaSalle are three 2008 birth year players from the 2024 OHL priority selections draft who have all been signed by Windsor and who have played games with the Spitfires over the past two seasons — forward Max Brocklehurst, defenseman Grady Spicer and goalie Jake Windbiel.
Brocklehurst (third round) has played in 33 OHL games for the Spitfires over the past two seasons and Spicer (fourth round) has thus far appeared in nine contests for Windsor between ’24-25 and ’25-26. And Windbiel (seventh round) played a full game for the Spitfires in ’24-25 and got the win on the road in Sault Ste.Marie.
All three were major contributors at the GOHL level with LaSalle during the ’25-26 regular season.
The highly skilled, albeit pint size Brocklehurst put up seven goals, nine assists, 16 points in just 12 games for the Vipers after the Spitfires sent him to LaSalle in January for more seasoning rather than have him welded to the bench or being a healthy scratch in Windsor. Meanwhile, Spicer has been a 6 foot 3 tower of strength for LaSalle all season with 12 goals, 21 assists, 33 points and 108 penalty minutes in 45 games. And Windbiel has been the no. 1 guy between the pipes in LaSalle with a record of 19-12-2 to go with a 3.49 goals against average and .899 save percentage.
Another young, signed OHL draft pick of the Spitfires who has been developing in the GOHL with LaSalle this season is 2009 birth year forward Ian Inskip. Inskip, who Windsor took in the second round of the 2025 OHL priority selections draft, skated in five games for the Spitfires to begin this season before being assigned to LaSalle. In 50 regular season games for the Vipers, the big forward put up 10 goals, 17 assists, 27 points.
Then there is 2007 birth year forward Shawn Costello, a veteran of 75 OHL games between the Spitfires and before them, the Oshawa Generals. Costello joined LaSalle from the Spitfires in January of this year and lit it up for the Vipers to the tune of 13 goals, eight assists, 21 points in just 14 games.
There are also youngsters on the LaSalle roster who are OHL draft picks of the Spitfires but who have not been signed by Windsor, at least as of yet. They are high scoring 2008 birth year forward Nic Rosati (11th round in 2024) and skilled 2009 birth year defenseman Luke St. John (13th round in 2025.)
Also in LaSalle is 2006 birth year defenseman Gage Evans, who was a 14th round pick by the Spitfires from the Sault Ste. Marie AAA program at the 2022 OHL priority selections draft. Evans is in his second stint in the GOHL with LaSalle in between one full season with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. The lanky defenseman, who is a student at the University of Windsor, has had an injury riddled ’25-26 season with LaSalle and has been sidelined since February 6.
LASALLE V. ELMIRA
The seventh seed Vipers will be in tough against the second place Sugar Kings in the first of the Western Conference playoffs. With 53 points from a record of 25-22-3, LaSalle finished well behind Elmira, which put up 77 points from a record of 37-10-3.
Over 50 regular season games, Elmira scored 233 goals and allowed 139 while LaSalle tallied 188 goals and gave up 180.
Jake Windbiel, below, in his only OHL appearance with the Spitfires in a road game in Sault Ste. Marie. (photo by Bob Davies)
